Veg Of The Month

March is a great time of year to begin to sow cabbage and that is why it is my Veg of Month this time round. What is even better about the mighty cabbage is that there are so many varieties to choose from. On the Notcutts Kitchen Garden page I found seven types to grow, which is fantastic. From Cabbage Cilion to Savoy Famosa and Samara, I was spoilt for choice.

Winter harvesting cabbages include:

Cabbage Savoy Kamchatka F1

Cabbage Cilion

Cabbage Regilius F1

Cabbage Samara F1

Summer harvesting cabbages include:

Cabbage Spring Advantage F1

Cabbage Kilakin Chinese F1

Cabbage Savoy Famosa

Cabbage Unicorn F1

When sowing cabbage it is best to grow them inside first in pots, a seed bed, seed trays or cell trays and then transplant them into their final growing positions. The seed bed in which you are growing your cabbages should be well dug and raked until the surface is crumbly. Each seed needs to be sown in rows approximately 23cm apart and 1cm deep.

Thinning out begins when the seedlings start to germinate. Thin out to create a gap between each small plant and carry on to thin as they grow to allow them growing space.

When the plants are roughly 10-13cm high they can now be planted outside in their final growing positions. You need to take care when transplanting, leaving plenty of soil attached to their roots. Plant roughly 30-40cm apart and firm the soil around them, as they will not produce a solid heart if planted loosely. 

In the summer cabbages are prone to pests and diseases, especially from white butterflies. It is best to protect your young crops with netting such as Micromesh or Enviromesh.

Salmon or Tuna Coulibiac

This is a great simple little recipe I found when looking for new, fresh ideas. When your cabbages are grown and look lovely and healthy all you need to do is decide whether to use salmon or tuna.

Ingredients

1 pack of puff pastry                                                       A little rice

Half a green cabbage steamed until "al dente"                  Butter

8 oz cooked flaked salmon or tuna                                  Salt, pepper, juice and zest of one lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°/gas mark 6.
2. With your packet of puff pastry, roll it out until it is 30cm square, then place your rice in the middle of it. This will soak up any moisture and ensure that your pastry is nice and crispy when it comes out of the oven.
3. Put the pastry onto a baking sheet and place your salmon or tuna and cabbage in the centre.
4. Season, dot with butter and add some lemon zest to bring out the flavour of the fish.
5. Fold the edges to create an envelope shape parcel and dampen the edges with a beaten egg to seal.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy!

Mr McGregor